St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-11-12
TRAVELLING CONVERSATIONS.
The Interstate Commerce Bill Does Not
Make Much Change.

The Interstate Commerce Bill Does Not
Make Much Change.
Somebody who knows it all solemnly
announced in the newspapers soon after
the passage of the interstate commerce
act that one of the results would be to
break up the travelling combinations. 1t
was argued, with a show of reason, that
these companies were not clearing any
more money before the act passed than
was needed to sustain them; that they
were receiving special rates from the
railroads, which mark of favor was for
hidden by the act to be longer extended;
and that the effect of requiring them to
pay as much as other people would be to
stop them from travelling altogether Well,
the interstate commerce act went
into operation, and 10 the travelling
company is abroad in the land, even as
of yore.
There seems as yet no disposition to
return to the old stock company whose
disappearance we are inclined to regret
There was charm about the familiar
faces and voices of the stock COM
pany seen and heard week after week
and season after season in all sorts
of roles which made up no small part Of
the pleasure of theatre-gOing, and which
travelling combinations can lay no claim
to. There were, it is true, the inevitable
shortcomings of Monday night; but,
then, there was the temptation to go
again on Wednesday or Friday to see
how much everybody had improved The
appreciative auditor took friendly
interest in the artist and in the success
of his efforts to adapt himself to his part.
And the actor, conscious of personal
regard which substituted sympathy for
criticism in the thoughts of many of the
spectators, was encouraged to infuse
fresh vigor into his impersonation with
every performance. All this threw an
attractiveness around the theatre indie
pendent of the merits of the pieces, and
made of places like our old Museum"
and "Holliday Street" as it were, down
town homes of the people, where some
members of a big family undertook to
entertain the rest.
For this the alleged progress of modern
times has substituted the snowy
merits of the travelling combination. 1t
is idle to deny that these are great, OF
their kind. In the first place, the scenery,
when not too plainly suffering from the
vicissitudes of travel, is in perfect keep
ing and pleasant to the eye. 1t is exc
cuted by able painters, and made, as a
rule, especially for the play. AS
much may be said for the cos
tunes. The company Is not al
ways of uniform excellence, though
the principal part is usually well played.
But against the best production of this
kind it may be most effectively urged
that it is machine-made. By dint of
repeating the same lines over and over
and over again, and going through pre-
cisely the same business many hundred
times, mechanical precision and accu-
racy are unquestionably attained;
a set of automatons moved by wires
under the control of clockwork
would not be more certain to say and do
the right thing at exactly the right mo-
| ment. 1t is in the power of Cushmsn or
Booth to resist the influence of constant
iteration, and throw an ever fresh inspi-
ration into oft-repeated lines; but trav-
cling companies are not made up OF
Cushmans and Booths; and while we
may admire the work of automatons, it
can never thrill US with the true dramatic
emotion.
But what hope is there of return TO
the good old stock-company system
"Progress" is the principle of the day.
Up hill or down hill does not much mat
ter. The great point is to keep moving.
Some season may see sudden return 10
the old system.